Foundation For Fighting Blindness: What You Can Do

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but a very important message.

I was blind, but now I see...

These are potentially the most famous words of the Christian faith. Time and time again, Jesus healing the blind is mentioned in the Bible. These words are mentioned in songs, sermons, and I have heard witness that someone I know was blind due to a tumor, but God healed her. 

If the sight is worth Jesus healing, then shouldn't we also take care of our sight, especially since HE gave doctors and optometrists the knowledge to do what they do. 

Every year nearly 10 million Americans go blind due to AMD or Age-related Macular Degeneration. The exciting news is that a cure is in sight! The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a non-profit organization, has provided funding for research on cures for blindness, specifically AMD, since 1971. In fact, with the research FFB has already made possible, treatments to stop and in some cases even reverse retinal disease is a reality. This is great news for people over 55 and their families. With AMD it is nearly impossible for grandparents to enjoy the little things in life such as playing games, watching movies and reading to their grandchildren. However, due to innovative research, those things are once again possible for many people…but, we need to continue this outreach, support additional research and find cures. This is why our campaign focus is on ‘Driving Research & SAVING SIGHT!’.

Download this free pdf download to learn more about macular degeneration and how to prevent and cure it. http://bit.ly/FFBFall2017

Get The Best Deals This Christmas With Kmart and Dealspotr

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

October marks the beginning of Christmas shopping for my house. We have just finished with both kids' birthdays, so I can start shopping around and getting good deals. I like to buy all throughout, so I list what I want to find October, November, and December. Basically, the things that are more expensive and I might have a harder time finding comes in October. There are still gifts to buy, so I am still looking to save some money. I got a heads up that Dealspotr could help me out with this, so I thought I would pass along some tips!

Miss Koda loves her 18" doll (she named her Allie). Well, there are several things she has asked for that are doll accessories. Because she is only turning 4, I keep a list of the things she really likes and shop around for a good deal, as these items add up quickly. She has been really wanting a horse for Ally to ride. In looking for a good deal, I headed to Kmart.com to see what kind of a deal I could find.

I found a beautiful horse that I knew Koda would love. This is a great price, especially after I've been shopping around and I love the way it is made. However, I'm always looking to save money. After all, if I save money, I could get her an extra outfit or something for Allie. What should I do? We all know that Kmart does not give many promotional codes for across-store savings. 

Luckily, I have a trick up my sleeve. Dealspotr comes to the rescue! 

Dealspotr is known for having hard-to-find promotional codes, even one time use ones. This comes in really handy when looking to buy a more expensive item (especially a toy) from an online retailer. In fact, many of the discounts on Dealspotr are from people who receive them in their email, do not use them, and pass them along. It is like shopping karma. Have a code you do not use, share it, find one you will use. Such a winner.

First, you need to set up an account. This is pretty simple, just make sure it is an account you check often, as you do want to stay up to date on deals. Go ahead and set up your profile while you are at it.

Now, it is time to find some deals.

Make sure you are signed in and find the search box. Simply search the retailer you are shopping with. Once you get the results, find the deal that you like the most. Then, click on it! 

 

After you find your code, copy it. Go back to the retailer (Kmart) and use that code during check out. If it does not work, let Dealspotr know and try another. It will be worth it!

It is a pretty simple way to shop for discounts, and well worth it.

 

What a simple way to save some money, just in time for Christmas. Make it a habit to check out Dealspotr before you check-out at any online retailer. You would be surprised at how much money you will save. While you are at it, share your unused codes and help others save money as well.

  

Homeschool Tools: Carson-Dellosa Halloween Packet

If you have been watching my Instagram feed, you know that I have been having a ton of fun with being a Carson-Dellosa Brand Ambassador. I love all the adorable classroom supplies and great teaching resources they offer and have been a fan of them for 15 years- when I student taught second grade my senior year of high school. My supervising teacher recommended I go by The Learning Safari (local teaching store) to find supplies for my handwriting lessons. Yes, I was in charge of teaching second graders cursive. I quickly fell in love when I was introduced and have used them ever since!

There are new products I am always falling in love with. One of my most recent favorites is the Carson-Dellosa Halloween Packet. This is a digital (printable) classroom packet full of Halloween themed lessons. There is a separate pack for each grade from Kindergarten to 5th grade. See them here.

I received the packet for 1st grade to use with my Tbomb. He loves Halloween like his mom and dad, so this was definitely a winner at our table! Each pack is 37 pages and includes so many features. It is an all-inclusive pack for the holiday month. 

Some Features Include:

Aligned With State Standards

Editable Parent Letter

Writing Prompts

Vowel and Letter Prompts

Counting

Addition

Subtraction

Science

Vocabulary

Homework Sheets

Puzzles

Answer Key

This would even be such a fun thing to do the day of Halloween with the class, especially since kids are preoccupied with the festivities on that day.

We did a couple of sheets to start the festivities off with but will be finishing it up Halloween day. 

I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson-Dellosa and have received this product for free to review. 

Book Review: Jesus Always + Giveaway

Disclaimer: I received a book to review. All opinions are my own.

I love devotional books, especially those that are written for children. I feel that it is such a great way to have family time, as well as teach kids to study the Bible, have an active prayer life, and to encourage reading. In our house, we have one for us to do with the kids and one for Tbomb to read on his own. Snapper has a Prayer book of first words to look at while Tbomb reads his. The Mr and I each have our own, as well.

Jesus Calling has quickly become one of our favorites, if not our favorite.

From the bestselling author of Jesus Calling®Embrace the true meaning of Joy with the young believers in your life in Sarah Young’s newest 365-day devotional, Jesus Always: 365 Devotions for Kids.

This book is written wonderfully for children and is easy for all children to understand, and is relevant to their lives. This is something that is not as easy to find as it seems.

We enjoy reading it daily with the kids and even looking up more scripture, as well as praying as a family. I have watched my children grow spiritually as we have been doing these devotions as a family.

As a mother, nothing makes my heart gladder than watching my children grow in such a way that they love God more and more every day.

Click here for your chance to win one of five copies!

5 Facts About Little Red Riding Hood

I have always loved the classic Grimm Brothers' tale of Little Red Riding Hood. That was my costume on several Halloweens.

I love the facts and the costumes presented with this Infographic from the Costume Supercenter.

3 Reasons Why Special Education Classes Need Alternative School Furniture

Special education programs are becoming more common in both public and private schools. In 2015 alone, over 6.5 million students received some type of special education help. Even more so, over 10% of all public school kids receive special education help. Special education is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of learning matters from special needs to learning disabilities, speech impediments to temperate control, audio-visual impairments to physical handicaps, and more. While alternative classroom layouts and furniture can be extremely useful in mainstream classrooms due to the rise of visual learners in the classroom, alternative classroom layouts, and furniture can be even more beneficial to students in special education programs. Below are three reasons why special education classes need alternative school furniture.

#1 Less School-like
According to a Why Science survey, 98% of students are bored during school. The typical classroom layout of students in rows staring at a whiteboard can make any student yawn just thinking about it. This can be even tougher for special education students who may find the learning experience to be a difficult experience.  A student with learning disabilities may “shut down” the moment they see this typical classroom. However, a classroom with an alternative layout or furniture (such as active seating) has a fun, “cool”, and welcoming atmosphere.

#2 Good for Education Tools
Each year, more tools are created to assist students’ learning experience. One such tool is the fidget spinner. However, not all education tools are small like the fidget spinner. Some look bulky and out-of-place in a traditional classroom set up.  Alternative classroom elements such as Soft Seating and Collaborative Desks can incorporate these tools while maintaining an aesthetic elegance.


#3 A Safe Space
While products like the buddy bench have made a significant impact in the lives of special education students, special education students are still not always treated properly by other students and even mainstream teachers. Many special education children who are bullied feel they do not have an academic sanctuary. A special education classroom that has alternative furniture can help the student feel like there is a place in school specifically for them.



Contact us as we are more than happy to help you pick out the solutions to help create a warm and relaxing learning environment!

host Your Own 31 Days of Halloween

Over the summer we ditched our satellite television, as a lot of people are doing. We opted for a combination of YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. These are services we pretty much already used, so why were we paying that extra $150 a month when we rarely watch television and because of our schedules hardly ever get to watch what we really want to.

We have enjoyed this switch until we realized something this week. We are going to miss our favorite 31 Days of Halloween and 25 Days of Christmas. So, we decided to do our own. We have been watching horror movies each night- We started with Halloween Unrated (Rob Zombie version), some paranormal shows, and now we are working on Friday the 13th series of movies. This is perfect for us, but I have a different idea for the kids.

I have created a family friendly list of Halloween movies. You could also search online to find out what is playing each night and find them on your favorite services.

31 Family Friendly Halloween Movies

1. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

2. Room On The Broom

3. Halloweentown

4. Hocus Pocus

5. Casper

6. The Addams Family

7. Coraline

8. Hotel Transylvania

9. ParaNorman

10. FrankenWeenie

11. A Disney Halloween

12. Double Double Toil and Trouble

13. Edward Scissorhands

14. Spookley The Square Pumpkin

15. The Haunted Mansion

16. Scooby Doo: The Movie

17. Curious George BooFest

18. Ernest Scared Stupid

19. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

20. Dear Dracula

21. Twitches

22. Boo to You Too! Winnie The Pooh

23. Tower of Terror

24. Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire

25. Phantom of the Megaplex

26. Monster High: Ghouls Rule

27. Disney's Halloween Treat

28. Toy Story That Time Forgot

29. Beetlejuice

30. Teen Wolf

31. Goosebumps

Some of these are fairly new to me, but some are classics, as well as fairly new favorites. I still watch Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus every Halloween. 

There are other things you can do to add to your Halloween festivities. Here are 10 ideas. 

1. Halloween countdown calendar (My kids below)

2. Different Halloween treat each night (even spooky food)

3. Tell ghost stories

4. Add a different decoration each night. 

5. Start a Halloween village
6. Do a cookie haunted house (you can buy kits to do this- similar to a gingerbread house)
7. Have smores around the campfire and listen to the creepy sounds.
8. Have a pumpkin carving party
9. Decorate Halloween cookies
10. Dress up in Halloween costumes as a family- just for the fun of it.

The kids love the jokes on our #halloween2017 countdown calendar. Today: what is a skeleton's favorite instrument? A Trum-BONE haha

A post shared by Cari | Chief This Handler💭 (@cari_on) on Oct 4, 2017 at 4:42pm PDT